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I think consumer electronic companies forget we are in a recession. If this past CES shows anything, these companies are coming out with new and “improved” technologies; the most publicized of these being 3D. With everyone getting wrapped up in this futuristic, people seem to be missing the fundamental question: is this technology coming out to soon? In these hard economic times, I feel these new advances will have a hard time becoming more than just a novelty.

These past years, companies have really made leaps and bounds in the electronics field. Us gamers know better than anyone else, Sony and Microsoft are both jumping on the Nintendo fan train with motion controllers. Downloadable content has also become a huge part of the gaming market. What we are seeing now is quick jumps in technology over this current generation. We have been used to slow, gradual change over the years, especially during ’80s and ’90s, but with this new millenia has brought us giant technological leaps.

The public simply cannot afford to catch up with every new piece of electronics. With a good amount of citizens still catching up online and wireless internet, how can we expect them to buy into these new pieces of electronics? These citizens are not looking for new technology to fill their home after just catching up to current standards. There is simply no buyers’ market, and these companies will suffer for it.

If the Avatar hype train has taught us anything, 3D is the new and popular thing. With people having their eyes opened by the “amazing” 3D, more and more companies see this as a new market to invest in. These companies (with Sony leading the charge) plan to release new 3D tvs to the open public by next year. Sony is even going to release 3D games and include a firmware update to the PS3 to make it able to run them.

As I saw the press releases pour out of CES, I wondered what audience the companies were pitching to. Yes, there are some gamers and technology lovers that have to keep up with the new advances. Besides this minority, I can’t see the many other people buying into this market. Many citizens are cannot afford the extra costs during times of recession. And with most of the public just catching up to HDTV, there is just no room for 3D. Ya the world cup will be broadcast in 3D, but how many people will actually take advantage of this? This new jump in technology will be lost on the mainstream public.

Of course, the Sony PSP Go is a perfect example of “to soon.” It launched with a revolutionary idea behind it, a completely downloadable portable, with literally physical media. This seems like a great idea with DLC becoming a big part of the gaming market place. The fact of the matter is it launched way to soon. People just don’t have the money nor are ready to completely take their media online. The steep $250 price tage did not help either. Sony’s portable blunder is a perfect example of what other companies stand to lose in this new fast paced media advancement.

Yes we would all like to believe the future is now. That we will recieve all of media through digital means. That we will have 3D images jumping off of our TV screens. That all our games will be played through physical interaction like we are actually part of the game. The fact of the matter is, it’s just not the time. People are not ready to make the jump into all new sorts of electronic properties. Companies need to slowly introduce these new technological advances slowly and gradually. Sure, waiting can be excrutiating, but it shows self-restraint and helps the public catch up with the consumer electronic companies’ view of the future.